


United At War

by WandaRavenBlack



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e10 The Day of Black Sun Part 1: The Invasion, Family Issues, Firebending & Firebenders, Freedom Fighters, Identity Reveal, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Secrets, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandaRavenBlack/pseuds/WandaRavenBlack
Summary: When the warriors arrive for the Invasion, the Freedom Fighters come with them. The Gaang is not only shocked to see Jet, but also his second in command: Zuko. Wanting to make everyone understand his choice of keeping the prince around, Jet sits down and tells them what happened in Ba Sing Se.
Relationships: Freedom Fighters & Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Jet & Longshot & Smellerbee & Zuko, Jet & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 59
Kudos: 459





	1. Loyalty To Me

Everyone was busy welcoming the newcomers. Katara and Sokka had reunited with Hakoda, the man managing to not tear up when he saw his children. Toph was joking around with the Boulder. Aang was talking with Teo and his father, thanking them multiple times for the glider. Hakoda managed to get his attention away from his children long enough to look over to Bato. 

“Bato. Are they coming?” 

The man shrugged slightly. 

“Li is hesitant about this. He said that him being here is a bad idea. I don’t know why, since he seems to be a nice guy, but Jet said that he knows what this is about, so I say we trust him.” 

Katara, Sokka and Aang looked at Bato with shock, and even Toph moved closer to them. 

“Did you say Jet?” 

Hakoda frowned at Katara. 

“Do you know him?” 

The girl gave an angry shout. 

“Know him?! He is crazy! A maniac! He doesn’t care who gets hurt, as long as he kills everyone from the Fire Nation!” 

Hakoda shook his head with another frown. 

“I’ll admit that he is slightly unpredictable, but he wouldn’t just kill someone from the Fire Nation. Li, his second in command, is not only from the Fire Nation, but also a firebender. And Jet doesn’t have any trouble with him.” 

The three teenagers looked at him with shock. Sokka was the first to collect himself. 

“Dad. Jet flooded an entire village once. He didn’t care how many innocent people got hurt. He…” 

“Can hear you perfectly well.” 

Everyone, even the ones that weren’t listening to the conversation, silenced and turned to the ship that Hakoda came on. Jet was standing in a calm, almost relaxed, position in front of a little group of people. On his left stood Longshot, eyeing everyone with his usual calculation. Behind him were Smellerbee, the Duke and Pipsqueak. On his right, dressed in full black and with hair almost down to his shoulders was… 

“Zuko!” 

Katara, Sokka and Aang immediately got into fighting stances. Noticing that, Toph shifted a bit as well. Hakoda looked between the teenagers and the Freedom Fighters. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“That’s Prince Zuko! Fire Lord’s son!” 

A murmur spread among the people, many of them reaching for their weapons. Zuko shifted slightly, almost as if he wanted to take a step forward, but stilled when Jet glanced at him. The glance seemed to convey a message, because he nodded and stayed where he was. Seeing that, Jet turned back to the others. 

“We’re here to help take down the Fire Lord.” 

Aang and Katara were still standing in defensive positions, but Sokka lowered his sword and frowned. 

“You’re not surprised.” 

Jet looked at him without any comment, so he elaborated. 

“You don’t seem surprised that this is Prince Zuko.” 

Zuko shifted again, his eyes never leaving Aang and Katara. Jet sighed heavily. 

“Li. Stand down.” 

Golden eyes turned to him with shock. 

“They…” 

“I know. But we’re here for a reason.” 

Zuko seemed to consider that for a moment, before nodding and taking half a step back. Many of the warriors around them lowered their weapons in surprise at the clear show of respect for Jet’s leadership. But Jet didn’t seem to even think about that. He turned back to Sokka, who had taken a slow step towards them. 

“The Freedom Fighters don’t keep secrets from me. I’m certain of their loyalty.” 

Hakoda, who had been watching the exchange in silence, now walked forward to stand next to Sokka.

“Their loyalty to the cause?” 

A small smirk appeared on Jet’s face. 

“Their loyalty to me.” 

Very slowly, Aang lowered his staff. 

“And you want to help us?” 

Jet nodded. 

“We do. In case you’re worried about our past actions, we’ve changed up our tactics a bit. It really makes a difference to have someone who knows about the Fire Nation military on your side. No innocents have been hurt during any of our operations. Not by our hand, at least.” 

“And you expect us to just believe you?!” 

Everyone turned to Katara. 

“After what you did?! You expect us to trust you?! Believe that you have changed?! And what about him?! After all the bad he’s done, do you really think we can believe that he switched sides?! After he hunted Aang for so long?! You expect us to believe that he would turn his back on his family?! He’s most probably just tricking you, because he wanted to get close to Aang! He…” 

“Katara, that’s enough.” 

The girl quieted at Hakoda’s sharp tone. The man understood. He had never used that tone on her. But it had worked, the girl being too surprised to say anything else. Seeing that she wouldn’t start screaming again, Hakoda turned back to Jet. 

“I understand that you believe your Freedom Fighters are loyal to you. But the fact remains that the Fire Lord is his father. How can we be certain that he is truly on our side?” 

His calm voice seemed to do wonders, because everyone lowered their weapons and simply waited for Jet’s response. The young man looked Hakoda up and down, before nodding slowly. 

“You can’t. I can.” 

Hakoda tilted his head in confusion. 

“You see, whatever I tell you, you won’t believe. Not entirely. As I said, we’re here to help take down the Fire Lord.” 

“His father.” 

Bato seemed to have trouble understanding the concept of a son wanting to hurt his father. Jet shrugged, but it was Zuko who answered. 

“Ozai has to be taken down. He’s done enough damage.” 

Hakoda glanced to where Katara was still in a defensive stance. Aang was a bit less suspicious, while Toph seemed completely relaxed now. Sokka’s expression was the one that surprised him the most. He was looking at Zuko and Jet with curiosity, nothing hostile left in his eyes. Making a quick decision, Hakoda nodded. 

“We’ll appreciate all the help we can get. We’re setting up camp here for a few hours. Rest up and refreshen. Eat something. We’ll have a debriefing of the plan later today.” 

Jet looked at him for a few seconds, before some of the anger faded from his face. 

“Thank you.” 

He started walking away from them, Zuko falling into step next to him without hesitation. Smellerbee and Longshot quickly walked behind them, making sure that their backs were safe. Pipsqueak and the Duke hesitated. 

“Um… Jet?” 

He stopped and turned his head around. Everyone who was still watching them saw how Zuko stopped too, making sure to not walk ahead of Jet. 

“Can we hang out with the others some? Get to know everyone?” 

Jet looked around at the warriors surrounding them, before nodding. 

“Sure. You know your signals.” 

They both nodded and quickly headed towards Aang. The remaining four Freedom Fighters exchanged silent looks, before following Jet to set up camp as far from the others as possible. 


	2. Sit Down And Ask

From his place, Hakoda watched the four Freedom Fighters. They had chosen to set up camp as far away from everyone else. A place where they could keep an eye on everyone from. He watched as Smellerbee walked over to the big pile of wood that the warriors had collected and, after exchanging a few words with one of the warriors, she was handed a handful of wood. Quickly, she carried it back to the others and put it in a pile. Without a word, Zuko put his hand over it and a fire sprung up. The four sat down around it, talking about something. They seemed to not be able to come to an agreement, because Smellerbee’s hands were flailing around and the fire seemed to react to Zuko’s moods by constantly changing size. In the end, Longshot stood up without a word and walked away towards where the warriors were handing out rice and meat. As he was getting four bowls of food, Smellerbee seemingly calmed down. The fire was still dancing, until Jet gently shoved Zuko’s shoulder and looked at it pointedly. Immediately, the fire calmed down. Longshot came back, balancing the four bowls and they ate in silence. Hakoda stayed where he was. He had eaten on the ship. He could sit here and just watch. He was shocked by this. Of course he trusted his children and Aang when they said that this was prince Zuko. And Jet himself hadn’t seemed outraged by the accusation. But how was it possible that the young prince was so much against his father that he would agree to join in the Invasion? How had he even ended up with the Freedom Fighters? As those thoughts ran through his mind, he watched the four teenagers finish their food and start talking again. They were too far away from the main camp for him to be able to understand what they were saying, but it seemed to be an intense argument. Suddenly, Jet said something with a smirk on his face. It made Smellerbee almost fall over backwards with laughter. Longshot’s mouth twitched slightly, while Zuko looked outraged. He leaned forward quickly and snagged the wheat grass from Jet's mouth, holding it threateningly out towards the fire. Jet laughed and raised his hands up in surrender. After a few seconds, Zuko handed him the grass back, Jet putting it in his mouth immediately. 

“This is so odd to watch.” 

Hakoda almost jumped at Sokka’s voice. The boy looked at him with an apologetic look, before sitting down next to him. Understanding that Sokka was the most likely one to tell him the truth and not let anything judge his words, he asked quietly:

“What happened when you met Jet?” 

Sokka seemed to hesitate, before shaking his head. 

“I’m not sure if I should tell you. If he’s really changed, I don’t want your opinion of him to get tainted by his past.” 

Hakoda smiled at the maturity in Sokka’s words. His son had really grown up. 

“It won’t. I just want to know why you three reacted the way you did.” 

Sokka nodded slowly. 

“We ran into Jet when we were in trouble. He saved us from a whole camp of fire nation soldiers and took us back with him to his hideout. We met his Freedom Fighters there. And there were many more than the ones you see here. Katara had a crush on Jet. Aang thought he was cool. I honestly didn’t really like him. Maybe I was jealous. Maybe my instincts were telling me already then that something was wrong. Either way, Jet convinced us to stay and took me out on a mission the next day. I heard someone coming, and told him that, but then told him that it was a false alarm, when I noticed that it was just an old man. Jet didn’t listen. He beat the old man up and robbed him, only because he was from the fire nation. I tried to tell Aang and Katara, but they believed Jet’s lies. So I followed him one night when him and the others were meeting. I overheard his plans to blow up a dam and flood an earth kingdom village, only because there were fire nation soldiers stationed there. He caught me, and told two of the Freedom Fighters to take me for a walk. I honestly don’t know what they were planning to do to me. I managed to run away, evacuate the village and then get back to where Aang and Katara had managed to freeze Jet to a tree. We left him there and didn’t hear from him again. That’s what happened.” 

Hakoda was feeling shock and horror. He had actually liked the young leader. He had seen the loyalty the other three Freedom Fighters had towards him. The Duke and Pipsqueak had seemed hesitant when they saw him on the ship, but had easily joined his company when Jet had told them that there were no hard feelings. They had seemed almost happy to see him after that. 

“Dad?” 

He turned to Sokka. 

“What he did, it was terrible. But I honestly think he has changed. The Jet we met back then? He hated everyone from the fire nation. Now he’s joking around with the PRINCE of fire nation. Something changed in him. And…” 

Sokka cut himself off and, when Hakoda turned to where he was looking, he saw Smellerbee coming towards them. Seeing her, Aang, Katara and Toph came closer too. The girl stopped in front of them and addressed Sokka and Hakoda, clearly ignoring the others. 

“Jet sent me to tell you that he’s noticed you looking at us. If you want answers, come with me. We’ll tell you as much as we think you should know.” 

Hakoda exchanged a look with Sokka, before standing up. 

“We would be grateful for some answers.” 

She nodded sharply, turned around and walked away. Without a word all the others followed her. Hakoda noticed how Zuko moved slightly closer to Jet when he saw them coming and realized that the bender was getting in a better position to protect the leader. Longshot moved closer to Jet too, Smellerbee flopping down next to Zuko. They reached the small camp and Jet smirked up at them. Even though he hadn’t raised from the ground, it was clear to Hakoda that he was the one in charge. 

“Sit down and ask away.”

They all sat down on the other side of the fire, leaving a big space between Sokka and Longshot on one side, and Aang and Smellerbee on the other. Seeing that Katara was opening her mouth, and not wanting her accusing questions to scare the others away, Hakoda quickly spoke up. 

“Sokka informed me of what happened the last time you met.” 

Jet nodded, a calm look on his face. 

“I understood that he would do it. What can I say? I was different back then. But Sokka’s last words made me think. I realized that I had to change my tactics if I wanted to protect the innocent. That is why me, Smellerbee and Longshot went to Ba Sing Se. Where we ran into Li and his uncle.” 

“Why do you keep calling him that? His name is Zuko.” 

Aang’s voice was honestly curious. Jet rolled his eyes. 

“His name was Zuko. Now it’s Li.” 

Once again cutting off Katara’s question, Hakoda asked:

“Did you know who he was when you met him?” 

Jet shook his head. 

“No. All I saw was another outcast. He helped us loot the captain's quarters and give the other passengers food. I asked him to join the Freedom Fighters, and he said no. But I wasn’t going to just give up that easily. I waited, watching him from a distance. Him and his uncle started working in a tea shop and, after a few days, I decided to approach him with the offer again.” 

*****

_ Jet walked into the tea shop and immediately noticed Li. He was standing at the back of the shop with an awkward look on his face. Jet rolled his eyes. The boy didn’t fit in here.  _

_ “Jet!”  _

_ Mushi hurried over to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards one of the tables. He pushed him gently onto the chair and smiled down at him.  _

_ “Would you like some tea?”  _

_ Jet smiled back at him. This old man was impossible to dislike.  _

_ “No, thank you. I would like to talk to Li. If that’s not a problem.”  _

_ Mushi shook his head.  _

_ “No. Not at all. I’ll tell him to take the rest of the day off. It’s so calm and quiet here anyway.”  _

_ He walked over to Li, whispered something to him, and the boy looked over to Jet. He seemed to hesitate, before nodding slowly and taking off his apron. With careful steps he walked over to Jet’s table and sat down.  _

_ “Uncle said you wanted to talk with me?”  _

_ Jet nodded.  _

_ “I wanted to talk to you about the Freedom Fighters.”  _

_ Li sighed.  _

_ “Jet…”  _

_ “No. Just listen to me. Alright?”  _

_ He knew that he would have to make his case appealing, or Li would say no again.  _

_ “I saw you out there, when we were helping those people. You liked it. You were happy to be able to do something for them. I can understand that. But I can also see the way you move. You’re a warrior. You’ve been in fights before. People like you are exactly what I’m looking for. I want you to join my Freedom Fighters. I want you to help us help others. Do something good for the ones who need help.”  _

_ Li shook his head.  _

_ “You don’t want me in your group, Jet.”  _

_ “Why not? Because you’re from the fire nation?”  _

_ Li looked at him with shock, his entire body tensing up. Jet smirked.  _

_ “Li, with your eyes, even an idiot would know where you’re from.”  _

_ “And you don’t have a problem with that?”  _

_ Jet shook his head.  _

_ “No. Some time ago, I most probably would have. But I’ve changed. I know who to blame and who to hold responsible. I remember now why I put together the Freedom Fighters in the first place. To help the innocents. I want to do that again. And I want you to help us do that.”  _

_ Li seemed to still hesitate about it.  _

_ “We have a small house here in Ba Sing Se. Stood unused when we came, so we took it over. The people in the neighborhood said that no one owns it. Now it’s ours. You’re welcome to move in with us. Let your uncle have some time for himself.”  _

_ Li glanced back to Mushi, who was joking around with one of the customers. Very slowly, he nodded.  _

_ “My uncle fits in here.”  _

_ Jet smiled.  _

_ “But you don’t. You’ll never feel like you do. Just come with me, Li. We’re just like you. Outcasts. We should keep together.”  _

_ Golden eyes looked at him for a few seconds, before Li finally nodded.  _

_ “Alright. Let me tell my uncle. I’ll meet you outside.”  _

_ Jet stood up with a grin.  _

_ “Alright. Grab your things.”  _

*****

“Li moved in with us and started helping us on the missions. Mostly stealing food from the rich and giving it to the poor. None of us ever asked Li about his past. Until Smellerbee got hurt one day and Li kinda freaked out.” 

Zuko snorted. 

“I didn’t freak out.” 

Longshot gave him a look, and the bender shook his head. 

“What? I didn’t.” 

Jet rolled his eyes. 

“You spent eight days by her bedside. You refused to eat for four. I would say you freaked out.” 

And, seeing the questioning looks of the others, he started explaining. 


	3. I Have A Sister

_ Jet walked into the small bedroom and almost sighed. Smellerbee was still on the bed, paler than ever. The red stripes on her face had been washed off and her bandana was on the small bedside table next to her bed. Her breathing seemed to be calm and steady, so he didn’t worry too much. Mushi had promised that all she needed was some rest, so they didn’t try to wake her up. What worried Jet, was the fact that four days had gone, and Li hadn’t left the chair next to her bed. He had only gone to use the bathroom a few times but, other than that, he refused to leave the girl. Jet took a deep breath and walked further into the room, sitting down on the other side of the bed.  _

_ “Li?”  _

_ No response. The other boy didn’t even acknowledge that he was there. Jet hardened his voice a bit.  _

_ “Li.”  _

_ Golden eyes looked up to him, and he was shocked by the expression they held. It was a mix of pain, fear, regret and sadness. A look he had never seen on the other boy.  _

_ “What’s wrong? You haven’t eaten in four days, Longshot told me you haven’t spoken since this happened.”  _

_ Very slowly, Li shrugged.  _

_ “What am I supposed to say?”  _

_ “Why you are acting like this. We’ve all been through worse. I’ve been poisoned two times and almost executed once. Longshot got stabbed through his stomach once and was asleep for almost a month. Smellerbee has been beaten up a few times by soldiers. Not to mention all the times branches have given out from under us and we ended up seriously bruised up. Injuries are nothing new to us. Bee will wake up and we’ll go back to how it was before.”  _

_ Li flew up from his chair and started pacing around.  _

_ “You don’t understand!”  _

_ Jet stayed where he was and kept his voice calm.  _

_ “Then why don’t you explain it.”  _

_ For a few seconds, golden eyes stared at him with frustration, but then Li flopped down onto the chair again. He kept his eyes on Smellerbee as he started talking again.  _

_ “I was closest to her.”  _

_ Jet tilted his head, but stayed silent.  _

_ “I saw the attack and didn’t get there fast enough. This is my fault.”  _

_ “No. It is not. Accidents like that happen. No one here will blame you for this. Especially not Smellerbee.”  _

_ Once again, silence fell over them. Jet noticed that, even though he seemed slightly calmer, there was still something bothering the other boy.  _

_ “There is more to this, isn’t it?”  _

_ Very slowly, Li nodded.  _

_ “I… I have a sister.”  _

_ Jet’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly masked it. He had been certain that Li’s family was dead and that this was why he was travelling around with his uncle and not mentioning his parents or any potential siblings.  _

_ “She’s younger than me. Father’s favorite. A prodigy.”  _

_ Jet tilted his head.  _

_ “A prodigy? She’s a bender?”  _

_ Li nodded.  _

_ “She was always better than me. My father liked to say that she was born lucky. And that I was lucky to be born. But it wasn’t always that way. We were happy once. I remember, when she was around three, I took her out to the city. We managed to slip away and just run around. We got lost, and she got scared. Some robbers caught us in a back alley and were going to kidnap us. They said that they could demand ransom for us. I wanted to protect her, but there was nothing I could do. That was when Lu Ten found us. Once they noticed we were gone, our parents and uncle had sent out a big search party. Lu Ten, uncle’s son, knew us best, so he had guessed where we would go and saved us. We were brought home. Father was furious. After that day, my sister changed. She stopped seeing me as her protector and started seeing me as a liability. A problem. That was the day I lost her.”  _

_ Jet had around ten questions about what he had just heard, but knew that he had to take it slow, or he wouldn’t get any answers. And there was something he needed to tell the other boy first.  _

_ “Li. Look at me.”  _

_ He waited until the golden eyes had turned to look at him, before continuing.  _

_ “Smellerbee will not be mad at you for this. It wasn’t your fault. We all make mistakes. Next time, it could be her not reaching you in time. Will you blame her for that?”  _

_ “No. Of course not.”  _

_ Jet nodded.  _

_ “Exactly. And I’ve known her for a long time now. I know she will not blame you.”  _

_ He waited until he saw slight acceptance on Li’s face, before asking his first question.  _

_ “What happened to Lu Ten?”  _

_ Li lowered his head.  _

_ “He died.”  _

_ “I’m sorry. What about your mother?”  _

_ He had wanted to lift the mood but realized almost immediately that it was the wrong thing to say. Li got a pained look in his eyes. A look he recognized more than well. He had seen it in his own reflection for several years after his parents had been killed.  _

_ “Don’t answer that. I understand.”  _

_ He stood up, walked around the bed and put his hand on Li’s shoulder.  _

_ “I’ll bring you something to eat.”  _

_ And he left, stopping briefly in the door.  _

_ “Thank you for being honest with me.”  _

_ He noticed a pained look cross Li’s face, but decided to ignore it.  _

*****

Everyone sat in silence. Katara was the first one to speak up. 

“Is your mother…?” 

She didn’t finish the sentence. Zuko shrugged.    
“I don’t know. One day, she was just gone. Ozai never talked about her after that.” 

Jet leaned a bit to the side and, to anyone else, it would have looked like he was simply leaning on his arm to get more comfortable. But Hakoda noticed how his shoulder brushed against Zuko’s as he did it. The prince glanced at him for a second, but didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Sokka was frowning. 

“There is something here I don’t understand.” 

Jet gave him an odd look, but nodded to show that he was listening. Hakoda remembered what his son had told him. Jet had told the Freedom Fighters to take Sokka on a long walk. He looked carefully at the leader. Would he really have had Sokka killed? He had been ready to kill innocents. But he had changed. Sokka himself said so. Jet had changed. Could the look be regret for what he had almost done? 

“You knew he was from the fire nation and, after that conversation, that his sister was a bender. You knew that he could be a spy. Why would you trust him so much? And you.” 

He turned to Zuko. 

“Jet is very clear and open about what he thinks about the fire nation. Firebenders. Why did you stick around?” 

Zuko glanced at Jet, but the leader was still relaxed. 

“Honestly? I was fascinated with him. He was from the fire nation, and yet he had been scarred by a firebender. He didn’t act like he was better than us in any way. He washed dishes with Smellerbee and spent hours out in the rain on patrols with Longshot. He never complained. And he always listened to what I said. Every order, no matter what it was, he just followed. No questions asked. I was curious about what would make someone from the fire nation hate his own land so much that he would follow the orders of a rebel. I was fascinated by it.” 

Zuko shrugged. 

“As for me, I didn’t exactly have that many options. It was the Freedom Fighters, or working in the tea shop. It wasn’t a hard choice. Especially since I actually enjoyed their company and started caring about them.” 

Hakoda frowned, remembering the ease with which Zuko had started the fire. The way the other Freedom Fighters hadn’t even reacted to it. He turned to Jet. 

“How did you find out he was a bender?” 

Zuko’s shoulders tensed up, and the fire rose a bit. Seeing that, Jet quickly put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Li. Longshot. Go on patrol.” 

Zuko looked like he wanted to protest, but quieted when Jet gave him a hard stare. 

“Now.” 

There was finality in his voice and the two teenagers stood up almost immediately, Zuko looking at Jet with worry. 

“What if…” 

“They won’t attack me. They have too many questions. Now go.” 

Longshot nodded and the two of them left, Zuko glancing behind him with visible worry. As soon as they were out of earshot, Jet sighed heavily. 

“He doesn’t like being too far away from me. But I don’t want him to have to relive what happened. Longshot will keep him occupied.” 

He waited until Smellerbee had moved to Zuko’s old place, and then started talking again. 


	4. You Don't Care

_ Jet and Longshot came into the small kitchen where Li and Smellerbee were preparing food for the evening. As soon as they were inside, Li turned to them with anticipation.  _

_ “Well?”  _

_ Jet shook his head.  _

_ “Nothing. Whoever attacked that woman is either a master at hiding, or already long gone. We paid her a visit and she told us to drop it. He only stole her bag and punched her two times. She doesn’t want to blow this out of proportion, especially since she is leaving with her family. Tomorrow. But we do have some news.”  _

_ He threw a rolled up paper on the table. Smellerbee dried off her hands and picked it up. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the text and picture.  _

_ “Aang’s bison has been kidnapped?! And it’s here in Ba Sing Se?!”  _

_ There was a loud clatter as Li dropped the knife he was using to cut up the carrots. Everyone turned to him and Jet frowned at the shocked look on his face.  _

_ “Li? You alright?”  _

_ The boy quickly nodded and picked up the knife.  _

_ “Yeah. I just… I…”  _

_ Jet’s frown deepened.  _

_ “What is it?”  _

_ “Nothing. I’m just tired.”  _

_ They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Jet nodded.  _

_ “I told you not to take three nights of patrol in a row.”  _

_ Then he turned back to the others.  _

_ “We need a plan. I overheard a few people talk about taking vacations in Lake Laogai, and I’m guessing that it’s some Dai Li place. I’m betting my swords on the fact that they took Appa. Now, we need to figure out how to get there and how to get Appa out of there.”  _

_ Li frowned.  _

_ “Wait a second. You want to go after it? You want to help the Avatar?”  _

_ Jet turned to him again.  _

_ “Yes. Look. I did something I shouldn’t have done last time I saw Aang. Now is my chance to make it up to him. If he is looking for Appa, then it means that something bad must’ve happened to them during their travels. Bee, Longshot. You two are going out later. Try to get as much information as you can.”  _

_ The two nodded, while Li was still staring at him with an odd look on his face. Noticing that, Jet raised his eyebrows.  _

_ “Do you have any objections?”  _

_ Li hesitated, before nodding.  _

_ “Yeah. The Avatar is dangerous. We shouldn’t be going anywhere near him. Especially considering the past. I mean…”  _

_ He paused, almost as if he had caught himself. When he spoke up again, there was anger in his voice.  _

_ “You shouldn’t be putting your Freedom Fighters at risk. Not when you can avoid it. You have to think about the consequences.”  _

_ Jet took a step towards him.  _

_ “What are you insinuating?”  _

_ “That you don’t care! You’re sending us after the Avatar, not knowing how he will react when he sees us! It’s like you don’t give a damn what happens with us! It’s like you don’t care if we get hurt or killed! As long as you get what YOU want!”  _

_ With a move too quick to really react to, Jet lunged forward. He grabbed Li’s wrist and twisted it behind the other boy’s back, putting so much pressure on it that Li had to bend forwards over the table to not dislocate his shoulder. Jet’s other hand went to the hilt of his knife, before he finally noticed how still Li had gotten under him. Next to the wall, Smellerbee had her own knife in her hand. Longshot’s hand was slightly raised towards his quiver, but he didn’t draw the arrow. Jet stilled too, not entirely sure whose side the two would stand on. Very slowly, not giving them any reason to attack, he let go of Li’s wrist, almost flinching at the red marks his grip had left there. He stood up straight and took a few steps backwards. Almost immediately, Li straightened up and stepped to the side, cradling his wrist. Jet noticed how he had made sure to put the table between them. Without turning away from the golden eyes, he addressed the others.  _

_ “Leave us.”  _

_ He heard Smellerbee take a sharp breath, ready to fight, but Longshot must’ve conveyed something to her with his expression, because she nodded and quickly left. Longshot looked between Jet and Li, before leaving as well, closing the door behind him. Jet took a calming breath, before pulling his knife out. He saw something flash across Li’s face and felt sick when he realized that it wasn’t fear. No. It was resignation and acceptance. Moving slowly, he put the knife on the table and pushed it, so that it slid towards Li. The boy looked at him with surprise.  _

_ “I’m not going to hurt you. But you somehow know how to push all my buttons at once, so I’d rather have you armed during this conversation.”  _

_ It looked like Li wanted to say something, his fingers flexing, but then he nodded and grabbed the knife.  _

_ “Now. I shouldn’t have done that. Sure, what you said hit a bit too close to home, but I shouldn’t have hurt you for speaking your mind. That’s not how it works here.”  _

_ Li tilted his head, his fingers tightening on the knife.  _

_ “It hit close to home. You mean… You don’t care about the Freedom Fighters?”  _

_ Jet shook his head tiredly.  _

_ “No. It’s not that. I would give my life for any of you in a second. But the person I was before was ruthless. I killed left and right. I didn’t care. What you said, that was me. Ready to sacrifice others to get what I wanted. I used to lash out when someone got too close.”  _

_ He looked Li straight in the eyes again.  _

_ “I’m sorry.”  _

_ Li frowned.  _

_ “I don’t understand. I spoke out. You’re the leader. I shouldn’t have spoken out against you. You have every right to punish me.”  _

_ Jet took in his posture. The way he seemed ready for an attack. He was still clutching the knife but, if Jet was being honest, he doubted he would use it if he was attacked again. And then he finally looked at his scar. The way it looked way too much like a handprint. Like someone had put a flaming palm to Li’s face. And everything fell into place. Li’s sister being a firebending prodigy. His father hating him. His mother being gone. Li’s stillness when he thought he was going to get punished. And the realization made him sick.  _

_ “Your father did that to you. Because you spoke out against him.”  _

_ They weren’t questions, but Li still nodded. Jet felt rage fill him, but forced himself to calm down. He was still on shaky ground with Li and didn’t want to scare him off.  _

_ “We’ll get him for it. Him and all the other firebenders. We’ll make them all pay.”  _

_ Li’s eyes widened slightly.  _

_ “All of them? What if… What if not all of them are bad?”  _

_ Jet shook his head.  _

_ “There are no good firebenders, Li. They are all scum that need to disappear. Only once they are gone, will everyone be able to live in peace.”  _

_ He saw sadness flash across Li’s face. It confused him for a few seconds, before he remembered that Li’s sister was a bender. And, whatever had happened between them, he most probably still cared about her.  _

_ “I’m not talking about killing them. If they surrender, there are plenty of prisons to put them it.”  _

_ Li nodded slowly, the sadness still on his face. With a careful move, he flipped the knife around and stretched it out towards Jet.  _

_ “I want you to have it. I trust you.”  _

_ Jet wanted to keep talking about the matter, but realized quickly that it would only make Li close off. So he just grabbed the knife and nodded.  _

_ “Call back Bee and Longshot. We have some planning to do.”  _

_ Without a word, Li walked away to the door.  _

_ ***** _

Hakoda was terrified. The Fire Lord had burned his own son. For speaking out of turn. He glanced at Sokka, trying to imagine himself in that position. He couldn’t. What father would do that to his child? 

“Wait a second. Weren’t you going to tell us about how you found out Zuko was a bender?” 

Jet nodded to Aang. 

“I will. But you had to know about that conversation, to better understand what happened afterwards.” 

Sokka, who was still looking very thoughtful, suddenly leaned forward. 

“What happened to change you this much?” 

Jet frowned. 

“What do you mean?” 

“What made you change from ‘kill all firebenders’ to protecting the prince of Fire Nation, a firebender.” 

Smellerbee glanced at Jet with slight worry, but he was keeping calm. 

“First of all, there are a few things you need to remember. Even though you knew him as Zuko, he is Li now. Try to remember that. Secondly, he is not a prince. Well, officially, I guess he still is. But here, with the Freedom Fighters, he is my second in command and nothing else. Do you understand that?” 

He waited until everyone nodded, before continuing. 

“As to what changed me, well…” 

He laughed quietly. 

“I won’t reveal too much right now, but there was a burning boat and a whole lot of trust involved.” 

He leaned back again, glancing around as if to make sure Li and Longshot weren’t back yet. When he didn’t see them, he turned back to the others. 

“Alright. Let’s get this over with before they come back. I really don’t want Li to think about what I said back then. Not when he is in a good place again.” 

And with that he launched himself back into the story. 


End file.
